Bailey Knaub, 16, was mobbed by her teachers and students when she returned to Thompson Valley High School in Loveland after meeting Tim Tebow on Sunday.

"They wanted to know the whole story from beginning to end," Bailey said Monday, also noting that she received 42 new Facebook "friend" requests. "They were so jealous."

Tebow mentioned Bailey, a junior, during his postgame remarks Sunday night, saying the big overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers paled in significance when compared to the health struggles she has faced.

Bailey has Wegener's granulomatosis, a rare vascular disorder that has forced her to undergo 73 surgeries in 10 years, the most serious of which was the removal of her left lung in 2010.

Bailey Knaub, 16, of Masonville, near Loveland, holds the souvenirs she got from Tim Tebow after spending time with him Sunday at
the stadium: an autographed shirt, a football that Tebow warmed up with, a book and a Bible. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

Her emotional strength through treatments, including chemotherapy to send the disease into remission, has been an inspiration to her family. A cousin sent a letter about her to the Tebow Foundation's Wish 15 program, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses.

On Thursday, Bailey learned that her dream of meeting Tebow would come true. Her family received tickets — first level, 30-yard line — to the AFC wild-card playoff game by FedEx, and soon they all were hanging out with Tebow's parents and all of his brothers and sisters.

Then, before the game started, someone said Tim Tebow was headed over to meet Bailey.

"I was so nervous, my heart was going a million miles an hour," she said. "I was trying not to squeal like a little fan girl."

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He greeted her by name, handed her the football he'd been practicing with, then said he'd be back after the game to hang out with her.

"She was just beaming," said her mother, Kathy Knaub.

Bailey and her older sister, Gentry, along with their parents Rob and Kathy, spent about two hours with the Tebow family.

"They were so friendly, it's like you were family," said Kathy Knaub. "We talked a lot about faith and their farm."

"My heart was going a million miles an hour," Bailey, pictured in her room, said of meeting
Tim Tebow. "I was trying not to squeal like a little fangirl." (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

Both families have lived on farms and built deep religious faith. The Knaub family attends Resurrection Fellowship in Loveland, where Rob leads the men's prayer fellowship of 450.

Rob shared the good news with the group by text message Thursday. "They were all so excited, especially for Bailey."

Bailey has faithfully followed Tebow since his time at Florida, a fan of his skill on the football field and strong Christian faith.

The years of her illness have been "extremely tough," her father said, so Tebow's kindness to Bailey meant a lot to her family.

"We couldn't believe on the biggest game of his life, he focused all on Bailey," said Kathy Knaub. "He's so genuine and made her feel so special."

Two of the best things Bailey — who calls herself a "sports fanatic" — took away from the post-game meeting were an autograph on the football Tebow had given her earlier and a Bible embossed with her name.

She also got a lot of love.

"They're a very huggy family," said Bailey. "I got about 20 hugs from everyone and a ton from Tebow."

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